Timballo di Melanzane

Today I prepared my favourite Timballo di Melanzane, (eggplant timballo), in individual portion using terracotta little trays to bake them. I served the timballi straight in the terracotta containers with a great Pithos, Nero d'Avola fermented in terracotta amphoras, slightly chilled.

800g of pappardelle

500g of tomato sauce

2 Large Eggplants

200g grated cheese

150g full-flavoured young cheese cut into 1cm cubes

Fresh Garlic

Fresh Basil leaves

150 ml of extra-virgin olive oil

2 beaten eggs

Place the pappardelle in abundant boiling water with a large spoon of rock salt. In the meantime, cut the eggplants length-wise into slices approximately 8mm thick.
Fry them in a pan until lightly golden – careful not to overcook them as they will finish cooking in the oven - and let them rest on kitchen paper to absorb the oil.
Once the pappardelle are 2 minutes away from being ready - they should be very “al dente” since they will finish cooking in the oven - mix them with the tomato and basil sauce and let them cool for a couple of minutes. Mix in 100g of grated cheese and add the cheese cubes.
Use the slices of eggplant to cover the bottom of a baking tray, put the pappardelle on top and sprinkle some caciocavallo ragusano cheese (parmesan or pecorino cheese are good alternatives), then cover with another layer of fried eggplant. Add 100gr grated cheese to the beaten eggs and cover the top of the tray with this mixture.
Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200 Celsius.